A Practical Guide to Using the Positive Deviance Method in Health Services Research

Objective

To provide practical tips for health services researchers considering the use of positive deviance () methods to help explain variations in quality of care or other meaningful parameters.

Data Sources

Published literature and personal experience.

Study Design

Narrative review.

Principal Findings

This review includes a discussion of possible applications of to health services research, some methodological choices applicable to , and some brief tips regarding publishing the results and incorporating them into future interventions.

Conclusions

It is hoped that this article will help health services researchers to use this valuable research method more effectively, especially those who have not done so before.